Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1887-06-01

~ 8M8yt4MAB ~ &00r
~ III eW1y Gona holne and kindred,
whem 10y love - much = W lore wife
tnnd pagnn6e md ehttdsen.s Not waiting I'm.
~ yoe N dea4 y PIT upsn your graves .
Ntoa4h Of foc0xn3tiom, thin hour Ne put on
yosr uvink bsov ~ Gssiand Of nations
0, nsn a ths western Gull squadron,
ct ths EasssIn GULF squadron, Of tho
6euth Atlantic squadron, Of the North At
ianttc squadron, Of the Mississippi squad
ron, Of the Pacific squadron, Of the West
India squadron, and Of the Potomac no.
tisla, hear ~ thanksl Take tho benedic-
: taltttes ef the nation. IL We had our way
70 would get you not only a pension, but q
home and : psincely wardrobe, and an
equipeee and i banquet while you live,
y afteT ycur departure . catafalque and
. mAW6Oleum Of S~culptured marble, with a
model OF the ship in which you won the
day. It h considered a gallant thing when
tn . naval fight the flagship with its blue
ensign goes ahead MP . river or into a bay.
Its admiral standing in the shrouds watch-
! ing and giving orders. But l have 10 tell
Jon, O veterans OF the American navy!
4 you are - loyal to Christ a. you " ere to
the Government there ID n flagship sailing
ahead OF ron of which Christ Is the adj
49, ~ NV WOtluOU ~ buAOuuus
and the heavens are the blue ensign, and
no leads ron towards the harbor, and oil
the broadsides OF earth and hell cannot
damage You, and We, whose garments were
Once red with your own blood, shall have a
robe washed aud made white in the blood
Of the Lamb. Then strike eight bells!
High noon in heaven!
sWith such anticipation, O veterans Of
the American navy! l charge you bear up
under the aches and weaknesses that you
still carry from the war times. You are not
40 stalwArt a. you would pave been but for
That nervous Strain and for that terrific ex-
posture. Let every ache lnd pain, instead
Of depressing, remind you Of your fidelity.
Tho sinking Of the Weehawken of Morris
Island, Dec. 6, 1863. was a mystery. She
was not under FIRE. The sea was not rough.
But Admiral Dablpren from the deck OF tho
nag steamer Philadelphia saw her gradually
sinking. and finally she struck the ground,
but the fac still iloaied above the wave in
the sight OF the shipping. 1t Was after
wards found that she sank from weakness
through injuries in previous service. Her
plate had been knocked loose in previous
times. TO you have. in nerve and muscle
and bone and dimmed eyesight and difficult
hearing and shortness Of breath. many in
timalions that you are gradually going
IN ~ - t4O 0cISICC u Nv 6ulys t0I6S
years oRO that 10 telling on you. Be of
good cheer. We owe you Just a. much MS
though your life blood had gurgled through
the scnppers OF the ship in the Red River
expedition or as though You had gone down
with tho Melville off Hatteras. Only keep
your fing flying AZ did Wcehawken.
G0Ud cheer, my boys! The memory of
man IN poor, and oil that talk about the
country never forgetting those who fought
for II is an untruth. 1t does forget. Wit
ness how the veteran sometimes had to turn
the hand-organs on the street to get thcir
families . living. Witness how rutblessly
some of them have been turned ont Of
Office that some bloat Of a politician might
there II not a man or woman now under 30
years Of age who has any full appreciation
Of the four years martyrdom of 1861 TO 1865
inclusive. But whilc men may forget, God
never forgets. He remembers the swim.
ming hammock. He remembers the fore
CASTLE He remembers the frozen ropes OF
that January tempest. He remembers the
amputation without sufficient ether. He
remembers the horrors Of that deafening
night when forts from both sides belched
on yen their fury and the heavens glowed
with the ascending and descending missiles
OF death. and your ship quaked under the
recoil OF the lO0-pounder, while all the
gunners, according TO command, stood on
tiptoe, with mouth wide open, lost the con-
cussion shatter hearing or brain. He re-
members il all better than you remember
i, and in some shape reward will be given.
God 10 the best OF all paymasters. aud for
those who do their whole duty to Him and
the world the pension awarded is an ever.
lasting heaven.
Sometimes OF the coast OF England the
royal family have inspected the British
navy, Unanswered before them for that
purpose. In the Baltic sea the Gear and
Czarina have reviewed the Russian navy.
To bring before tho American people the
debt they owe to the navy / go out with
you on the Atlantic Ocean, where there IL
plenty Of room, and in imagination review
The war shipping Of our three greatconficts,
1776. 1872, and 1876. Swing into line, all
70 frigates. ironclads. fire-rafts, gunboats.
and men-of-war! There they come, oil
sail set and all furnaces in full blast,
sheayes OF crystal tossing from their cut.
ting prows. That il the Delaware, an old
revolutionary craft, commanded by Com.
mGdore Decatur. Yonder goes the Con.
stitution, Commodore Hull commanding.
There 10 the Chesapeake, commanded by
Capt. Lawrence, whose dying words were
"Don't give mp the Ship" and the Niagara,
of 1919, commanded by Commodore Perry,
who wrote on the back of nm old letter,
resting on his navy cap: @We have met
the enemy and they are ours Yonder is
the flagship Wabash. Admiral Dupont COM
manding; yonder, the flagship Minnesota.
Admiral Goldsborough commanding; yon.
der, the flagship Philadelphia, Admiral
Dahlgren commanding; yonder, the flag
ship San Jncinto, Admiral Bailey com
manding; yonder. the flagship Black Hawk.
Admiral Porter commanding; yonder, the
flag steamer Benton, Admiral Foote COM
handing; yonder. the flagship Hartford,
David GlascOe Farragut commanding. And
now all the ~squadrons of all departments,
from smallest tugboat to mightiest man.of-
war, are in procession, decks and rigging
filed with the men who fought on the sea
for the old flag ever since we were q natien.
Grandest fleet the world ever saw. Sail on
before al ages! Run mp all the colors.
Ring the bells! Yea, open all the port
fire one great broadside that shall shake
the continents in honor of peace and the
eternity of the American union!
But l lift my hand, and the scene has
vanished. Many Of the ships have dropped
under the crystal pavement Of the deep,
sea monsters swimming in and out the
forsaken cabin, and other old craft have
swung into the navy yards, and many Of
the brave spirits who trod their decks had
gone up to the Eternal fortress. from
whose easements and embrasures may we
not hope they look down to-day with Joy
upon q nation in reunited brotherhood?
At this annual commemoration / bethink
that most of yOu who were in the naval
service during our late war are now in the
afternoon or evening of life. With some
of you it is 2 clock, 3 o'clock, 4 o'clock,
q O'clock, and it will soon be shutdown.
II you were of age when the war broke
ont you are now at least 48. Many Of you
have passed into the sixties and the seven
ties; therefore, It 10 appropriate that / hold
two great lights for your illumination-the
example Of Christian admirals consecrated
70 Christ and their country-Admiral Foote
and Admiral Farra9ut.
Had the Christian religion been . cow.
ardly thing they would have had nothing
70 do with it. In its faith they lived and
died. In our Brooklyn navy yard Admiral